Particularly in the last decade, supplemental feeding of piglets with a liquid feed has become increasingly popular as a supplement to, or even as a replacement to sow feeding. Supplemental feeding of piglets can be practiced in addition to sow feeding by isolating a liquid feeder away from the sow, and it has been found that with the aide of a liquid feeder piglets can be weaned as soon as two days after birth. Supplemental feeding has additionally proven to provide many other benefits such as production of stronger, healthier piglets of increased early weight, along with a reduced death rate. Such benefits serve to produce more pounds of pork per sow.
There are presently cup-based liquid feeders available in the marketplace, use of which have demonstrated proven utility. Most such cup-based liquid feeders incorporate what is termed an “Edstrom” liquid feeder system. While performing the basic function required thereof, Edstrom liquid feeders demonstrate inefficiencies which innovation in system design could eliminate. Said inefficiencies include:                1. When liquid feed delivery lines are under pressure, liquid feed (eg. milk), can spray upward and not become contained in an associated cup. It even occurs that, liquid feed is sprayed into the face of a piglet when the cup is relatively empty, and this “spray” action can:                    waste liquid feed; and            even scare young piglets away from the liquid feeder system,thus lowering the pressure at which a system operates would enable better results being achieved with only minimal splashing of fluid out thereof;                        2. As piglets grow older they often become more active and some tend to “playfully” over-activate a “spray” causing liquid feeder system to the point that liquid feed is wastefully ejected beyond the cup, or fills and then wastefully overflow-spills from the cup,thus means limit access to the “spray” causing system means and prevent over activation thereof would enable achieving better results;        3. When liquid feed sits in a cup solids therein separate out and accumulate at the bottom thereof, thereby often becoming waste,therefore a liquid injection means and technique for keeping solids from separating out would enable achieving better-results; and        4. If liquid feed lines lose pressure, liquid feed in a cup can flow back thereinto and contaminate source liquid feed,thus including means to prevent backflow into the source would enable achieving better results.        
The invention disclosed herein addresses the foregoing points and provides system and method improvements in the identified areas.
With the disclosed invention in mind, Patent Searching was conducted. Perhaps the most relevant is U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,210 to Miller which describes a watering system for poultry and the like. The system includes a deflector bell which guides water jets downward into a cup. A perceived problem with this system is that if water is ejected at high pressure it can bounce from the bottom of the cup and splash vertically out of the cup. If used to feed piglets, they can be startled by either direct vertical ejection or such reflected vertical ejection. In contrast, it is noted that a substantially lateral fluid ejection would provide utility. Further, it is noted that the 210 system is designed for use by poultry, which tend not to effectively mix liquid feed as they feed. Piglets, on the other hand, feed by forcing their snouts into a cup, and by said action tend top naturally keep solids in liquid in suspension.
Another Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,571 to Row describes a system which allows watering poultry which includes a cup with a raised central plateau portion that defines a cup supply hole fed from a connecting passage. A pecking tip is present, motion of which allows water passage past said cup supply hole.
Another Patent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,817 to Momont describes a system with a back flow preventing means. U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,343 to Thompson et al. also describes a system with back flow preventing means therewithin.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,791 to Wostal describes a valve mechanism for a livestock watering bowl. The valve is operated by a plunget motion.
Additional Patents which describe systems which include the presence of back-flow restricting means are:                U.S. Pat. No. 4,199,000 to Edstrom Sr. et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,831 to Nilsen;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,187,804 to von Taschitzki;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,138,967 to Tamborrino;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,047,503 to Wilmont;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,926 to Olde;        U.S. Pat. No. 3,527,193 to Smith; and        U.S. Pat. No. 3,505,978 to Nilsen.        
As regards systems which can be activated by mechanical action to cause liquid to flow therefrom, the most relevant Patents are:                U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,350 to Gustin;        U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,927 to Thompson; and        U.S. Pat. No. 6,003,468 to Edstrom Sr. et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,094 to Nilsen Jr.Additional Patents which describe functionally relevant systems are:        U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,177 to Edstrom Sr. et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,700 to Cross;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,221 to Novey;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,948 to Atkins;        U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,585 to Dolan et al.        U.S. Pat. No. 4,320,891 to Cairns.        U.S. Pat. No. 3,550,560 to Edstrom.        
Importantly, it is particularly pointed out that no identified Patent describes a system for providing fluid to a cup, which as positioned/viewed in side elevation has substantially vertically projecting side(s) and a substantially closed bottom through which projects a means for accepting fluid, which system further comprises means for ejecting fluid entered thereinto in an essentially lateral, off radius oriented locus, such that said fluid enters into said cup in a “swirling” manner conducive to keeping feed mixed into liquid, and further has a cup bisecting restriction element frame for controlling animal access. The presently disclosed invention system teaches such a fluid flow control system that also comprises means for preventing back-flow of fluid entered thereinto, back into a source of said fluid and which operates at a lower fluid feed source pressure than do conventional feeder systems.